A woman and her daughter in California were arrested and charged with murder after they performed a botched butt injection procedure that resulted in a woman's death, police said.
The incident happened in October 2019, but the women, Libby Adame, 51, and her daughter, Alicia Galaz, 23, weren't arrested until August, Los Angeles police said. They were booked into jail Aug. 5 and released after they posted bond, online jail records show.
Galaz is scheduled to appear in court in December. A court date has not been set for Adame. It was not clear whether they have obtained attorneys.
Karissa Rajpaul, 26, died Oct. 15, 2019, in a hospital after she went to Adame and Galaz for what police described as an "outlaw buttocks augmentation procedure."
"Shortly afterward, the victim died as a result," a police spokesperson said.
Rajpaul's death is listed as a homicide due to acute cardiopulmonary dysfunction and intramuscular/intravascular silicone injections, according to the medical examiner's office.
Police Detective Robert Dinlocker said Tuesday that Adame and Galaz performed three procedures on Rajpaul and that she died after the third one. Police found no medical certification in California for either suspect and said they believe neither had received any type of training.
Adame and Galaz, who mostly advertised their services on social media, charged $3,500 to $4,000 per session. Dinlocker said they would push their clients to agree to a series of three sessions.
"These were uncontained silicone injections," Dinlocker said. "They would go under the muscle so the butt would have that natural look, but the problem is, according to the coroner's office, you've got major arteries right below that muscle, and it's likely that when they do that they can strike an artery."
After realizing that Rajpaul was in medical distress, Adame and Galaz called 911 and left the home after paramedics arrived, Dinlocker said.
Since news of the death emerged, the police department has gotten "dozens and dozens" of calls from other people claiming to be victims. Many have complained of suffering from infections, numbness, disfiguration and swelling after they went to the pair for butt injection procedures.
Dinlocker said additional charges are expected. He said he hoped Rajpaul's story will help others see the dangers in getting the illegal procedures.
"We'd like to get to the ears of these young ladies that are taking the selfies and posting stuff on Instagram and all these other social media sites that these invasive procedures are deadly. Side effects and catastrophic incidents ... are likely," he said. "There's no recourse, there's no contingency, there's no medical backup for these in-home procedures."